Stop right in … the cafeteria is worth a visit at Scentsy Commons

Scentsy’s Meridian headquarters campus, now referred to as Scentsy Commons, is a must-see, and by that I mean you need to check out its amazing cafeteria and dining area. Yes, amid the lush landscaping that welcomes you to the campus, and inside the 167,996-square-foot office tower at the corner of Eagle Road and Pine Street in Meridian, the dining room is open to the public.

I asked Scentsy President Heidi Thompson why she and her husband, Orville, decided to give the public access to their multimillion-dollar building, let alone its state-of-the-art food service company Guckenheimer’s delicious offerings. Thompson said that when Scentsy first began as a tiny company in 2004, working out of a shipping container on an Idaho farm, every meal that was prepared was a quick one.

The Scentsy Commons campus is 73 acres. Photo by Jennifer Gonzalez.

The mother of five said meals often consisted of ramen noodles, mac and cheese, or microwaved burritos, and that eating together was challenging, if not a luxury. Thompson said she always envisioned a place where employees could enjoy a meal with their spouse or children and spend some quality time together throughout the course of a busy day.

The cafeteria offers food service by Silicon Valley-based Guckenheimer. Photo by Jennifer Gonzalez.

Fast-forward to 2013 and to Scentsy’s unveiling of its new home, and the concept still stands; anyone is welcome to dine, walk around the campus’s three miles of walking paths and enjoy the view.

The building and grounds of Scentsy Commons will also be available for weddings and photo sessions. Inside the building, you feel like you are in a university campus building with wide-open common areas and gathering rooms, and also floor-to-ceiling windows with 360-degree views of Meridian, Boise and the foothills.

You have to hand it to the amazing design team at CTA Architects Engineers who designed, redesigned and refined the building to look as it does today. ESI Construction turned that design into reality. Hundreds of Scentsy employees will start working in the space this fall.

Thompson might now oversee more than 1,000 employees and some 181,000 consultants worldwide, but her vision has never changed from the early days, when she and Orville worked inside that cramped shipping container to create the first batch of scented wickless candles. That’s why it was so important to her to create a special environment, she said.

“I wanted a place that was inviting and welcoming to work in.”

And as a side note, because I love to eat: Check out the cafeteria and dining area. With so many choices, I didn’t know where to start. But I can tell you, the Lemongrass Shrimp and Coconut Soup is amazing!